Friday, February 29, 2008

The Castle

This is another great city shot I ran across in my wanderings of the urban web. Industrial zones make a powerful impact on the psyche. If you doubt me, go visit Cleveland at night and check out ISG's tower of flame. It spits out easily 10 feet of flame at the top of a smokestack all night long. That thing is captivating, I tell you.

Anyway, I'm always struck when I encounter images of huge factory complexes in action. Perhaps it's just that I'm too accustomed to living in a service-sector America. Once upon a time, this country was covered in such districts. It was perfectly ordinary to see smokestacks, flickering lights and fires at night, and listen to the abrasive clanging of industrial equipment. I grew up in suburban America, and now live in a city not particularly dominated by heavy industry.

Will service-sector America ever become once again manufacturing-sector America? It's doubtful. The only major external force that would drive manufacturing back within our borders is a rising cost of transportation. Certainly, fuel costs are way up in the past ten years, but as far as I can tell that just means we'll import from Mexico instead of China.